Overcoming Challenges
by weirn018
Summary: Karin Marker a clumsy new trainer that has the goal of being more then just the black Mareep of the family tries her best to gain strength and acknowledgment from both those around her, her Pokémon and her family. Going through battles and embarrassing moments along the way.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue: To Build Courage **

Karin Marker had always been the odd one in her family, which contained her grandmother Elda, her grandfather James, her mother Caldera, her father Henry, her younger sister Anju, and her older brother Ren. Her family, along with a few others, had a special connection with Dark, Ghost, and bat-like Pokemon. All of which Karin was afraid of to some degree. She couldn't even count the number of times that she fell down because a ghost type or Zubat flew too close to her face for her comfort.

Anyway, the connection awarded them with a few gifts, such as her sister's ability to give Ghost Pokemon the ability of speech when they possessed her dolls. Unfortunately, it also came with a downside. Strong sunlight made her family feel weak. This wasn't true for Karin. Sunlight never made her feel weak.

Her differences, however, sometimes hurt her. Recently, her brother's words had hurt her deeply.

Her parents had wanted to giver Karin her first Pokemon, but she'd been trying to get a normal Hoenn starter. Her friends Naitou and Maki had gotten the last two, so the professor gave her Bulb, her Bulbasaur. Over the next two weeks, she 'caught' two more Pokemon, only one of which her family knew about. That would be Sugar the Ralts, who had gotten itself caught by playing with one of Karin's empty Pokeballs.

The other was one that only she, Anju, Boogie-kun the Duskull, and James knew about. This was Spice, the Shiny Feebas. Karin had actually found her egg about a month before she became a trainer and had been secretly raising her ever since. Her sister, her Pokemon, and her grandfather had discovered Spice a few days ago when Karin had run out of the house because of Ren's verbal bullying. Boogie learned to stay away from and stay as quiet around Spice as possible. Unlike Bulb who ignored him and Sugar who didn't really understand what he was saying, Spice would shoot a Dragon Breath at him and, what the humans could only assume was, yell at him.

The group had decided that it would be best for Karin to go someplace else until her confidence as a trainer improved. James had talked to an old friend who said his young grandniece living in Agate City would be happy to have a room mate. It would take a month or two to set everything up, though.

Karin decided to travel through part of Kanto and Johto a bit to strengthen her team and calm her nerves before heading Orre. So after planning, packing, saying her goodbyes, (James had offered to tell her parents she was leaving for her) and boarding the boat, Karin nervously began her journey.

Her time on the boat was uneventful apart of Spice's evolution. (She apparently had a love for Beauty Pokeblocks.) Her other Pokemon had also leveled up a bit.

However, her adventure started to pick up speed soon after leaving the boat behind.

…**Skip…**

_How embarrassing! _Karin thought. She had been running around the city, trying to find the Pokemart, when she had crashed into another trainer with scary eyes. And because of the way they fell, he'd seen her underwear when her skirt flew up. She had been a little comforted when she saw that he was just as embarrassed as she was.

"I'm so, so sorry! I was rushing around, trying to find a Pokemart, and didn't look where I was going!" Karin cried.

The scary-eyed trainer raised his palms to the sky. "It's fine. Embarrassing, but fine. You really should wear shorts under your skirt though, so that doesn't happen again."

"Ye-Yeah. I'm Karin Marker," she said, holding out her hand.

"Kenta Usui. You challenging Lt. Surge?"

"N-No! My Pokemon aren't up for that yet. I'm making my way to Orre. I just want to travel and build my team up first."

"Ah. I've heard that Orre has really started to develop into a good Pokemon region over the years thanks to rangers taking Pokemon from areas of overpopulation there. Even though very few trainers go to Orre. I've heard their trying to make their own version of the Gym system."

"Really? Wow, you know a lot!"

"I guess," Kenta said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Anyway, you want me to show you the way to the Pokemart?"

"Y-yes! Thank you!"

Kenta gave the nervous girl a smile and lead Karin to the Pokemart… which was in the opposite direction of the way she had been going when she'd crashed into him.

It was a quick trip, and as a thank you Karin had invited Kenta to have dinner with her.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, looking at the meal in front of him. Now Kenta wasn't poor, but he and his mother didn't exactly eat food that looked to be of the quality of the meal Karin had put in front of him. "This looks good!"

"Thanks, I'm glad you like it. One of the few things I'm really good at is cooking. I'm glad Nurse Joy let me use the stove. Oh, I hope you don't mind, but I just used a recipe for general Pokemon food since I didn't know your Pokemon's types," she said as she put out the bowls of Pokemon food.

"That's fine; they're not picky," replied Kenta, letting his four Pokemon out of their Pokeballs. Out came a Charmeleon, Kadabra, Parasect, and Diglett. Karin followed his lead and released Bulb, Sugar, and Spice.

Kenta blinked at the Shiny Milotic before his stomach demanded he eat. He turned and sat at the table before digging in. "This tastes as good as it smells!"

After they'd eaten and the dishes were cleaned, Kenta started up their conversation again. "So you're traveling to Orre. How do you plan to get there, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Oh, not at all. I plan to go to Saffron, then Cerulean, then Pewter, and then I'll take the train from Viridian to Goldrod City. I'm thinking about entering the Johto National Park Bug Catching Contest, too. In Olivine City, I have to take a boat to Gateon Port… Oh, I'm rambling, aren't I?" Karin self-consciously scratched her cheek.

"That's fine. I'm the one who asked. So, any idea what you plan to do once you get settled in Orre?"

"Um, not really… I want to train my Pokemon, that's for sure, but as for what else…"

"Alright then, why don't you try and apply to be a Gym Leader?"

"…Ehh?!"

Kenta threw his arms up in defense. "Relax, okay. As I said, they're trying to set up a Gym system. So what if you don't really have a one-type Pokemon team. By the looks of it they have potential, and Gyms can also work as other types of businesses, too. So you could open a restaurant that is also a Gym or something. Just… give it some thought… okay?"

"…Okay," Karin said marsheepishly.

Kenta chuckled and patted Karin on the head. "If you do make it to be a Gym Leader, I'll have to go see it once I'm done with the Indigo League or something."

…**Skip…**

That night when Kenta went to his room to sleep, Karin dialed her grandparents' house on the video-phone.

"Marker House, who is it?" a playful voice sang.

"It's Karin, Grandma," she said to the woman who looked way too young to be anyone's grandmother. The screen came to life to show Elda's face.

"Karin! Sweetie! How are you doing?"

"Fine. Is Grandfather or Anju there right now?"

"Nope, they're trying to calm down little Henry.

"Sol! Umbrr! Sylv!" An Absol's, Umbreon's, and Sylveon's faces suddenly took over the screen.

Karin blinked before smiling. Her grandfather's Umbreon and her grandmother's Absol were two of her family's Dark-types that she actually got along with. Along with her grandmother's Fairy-type, (no one was brave enough to make fun of or criticize Elda for having a Fairy-type, because Elda was scary) Eeveelution. They were the three who had helped Karin to bond with Pokemon the most.

"Hi, guys, being good?" She got three happy responses.

"Alright, alright, down, you three," Elda said as the three Pokemon left their screen. "Karin, you okay? You seem a little distracted."

"I'm fine, I'm fine! It's just… Grandma, do you think that… there's a chance that I could possibly handle being a Gym Leader in the future?"

"Eee!" Elda cried in happiness, startling Karin a bit. "Karin! Sweetie, of course you can! All you have to do is train and believe in yourself to give it a try. My granddaughter, thinking big! The last child in one of our kin clans that became a Gym Leader was little Morty, the current Ecruteak City Gym Leader. You could probably talk to him. I'm proud of you, sweetie. You travel and grow stronger."

"O-Okay, Grandma. Love you."

"Love you too, sweetie."

Karin sighed as she hung up the phone. Really, her grandmother had way too much energy. It made her feel tired. Going off to bed was the next thing on her to-do list, which she did gladly.

…**Four Days Later…**

"Oh man!" Karin exclaimed as the Pidgey she wanted to catch flew away. Really, it wasn't her fault the Pokemon always escaped before she could catch them. Sometimes, things would just happen. Like a different trainer would spot her just as she was about to catch it, or the Pokemon would recover too quickly, etc.

"I'm sorry, Bulb. You, Sugar, and Spice must be really frustrated with me right now," Karin said to the Grass-type, who gave her an 'it's okay' type of grin. In truth, it hadn't been a bad couple of days for the Pokemon. They had gained some experience, won a few battles against other trainers, (even though many were close calls due to Karin's nerves) and Karin had even gained a bit of confidence when they'd learned some new moves.

"Look out, miss!" a male voice called. Karin barely dodged the orange, black, and tan blur that flew past her head. She landed on her butt, but she managed to get a good look at the Pokemon. It was a smug-looking Growlithe.

"I'm sorry about that, miss. That Growlithe came from the route between Celadon City and Saffron City and has been running amok in the Saffron City Gym."

"Can I try to catch it?" Karin asked. "I've been trying to catch a new Pokemon for four days."

"Well, it's a wild Pokemon, so I don't see why you can't try." The male said doubtfully after a brief pause.

"Alright! It's time for battle, Spice!" Karin said, summoning up as much self-confidence as she could.

"Milotic!"

"Water Pulse!" Karin ordered. The Water-type's attack soaked the ground as the Growlithe dodged it. The Puppy Pokemon ran up to Spice and tried to bite her tail fin. "Splash, quickly!"

Spice used Splash as a way to dodge the Bite, and it gave her a small boost in speed for a few seconds. Growlithe was not pleased with the missed attack.

Spice fired a Dragon Breath at the puppy in a fit of annoyance.

"Gro!" the puppy cried in pain, and it slid on the wet ground as it jumped back.

"Water Pulse!"

This time the Water attack found its mark. Spice may be a young Milotic, but it did not stop her from doing her all in a battle. Seeing how close the wild Pokemon was to passing out, Karin grabbed a Friend Ball and threw it. She held her breath as the ball shook.

_Ping_

"Yes!" she cried happily. Karin ran to the Friend Ball… and slid in the mud. "Oof." she was grinning even though she was muddy. She was glad to have a new friend… and the fact that she was wearing shorts. She felt a vine wrap around her waist and hoist her to her feet. She smiled, seeing both Bulb and Spice grinning back at her.

She turned to talk to the male that she had heard earlier only to freeze. There, directly in front of her face was a grinning purple figure she recognized _way _too well. It tilted its head in confusion. "Gengar?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Gengar!"

**End of Chapter**

**Disclaimer: My cousin(my beta, kind of) and I own nothing.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1: Embarrassing but worth Planning**

"I am so sorry for screaming! It's just that I really get freaked out by things just appearing in front of my face." Karin tried explaining in panic.

"It's quite alright. He has a habit of just appearing wherever he wants and he needs to work on that." Sabrina said as they both sat in Sabrina's family's living-room having tea. Gengar and Sabrina's father where in the kitchen enjoying the cookies the psychic's mother made,

"I'm still sorry I don't really have many good experiences with ghost, dark or bat like Pokemon. Thank you for helping me find the Pokemon center earilier and for the tea." Karin said as she tried to relax a bit more.

"It's no problem at all. I have a feeling you have potential for good things in the future. Especially with that gift of yours." Sabrina said taking a sip of her tea.

"Huh? Gift, I don't have a gift, especially like my family members do." Karin said confused.

"You aren't aware of it but you do have a gift. Maybe not fully developed right now, but that could change in time."

"No I'm sorry but you must be mistaken. I don't have a gift, thank you for the tea again but I have to go to the Pokemon center. I have some people I have to meet tomorrow." Karin said as she put the tea cup down and quickly went out the door. Trying not to fall or stumble on her way out.

"No mistake, just not the right time." Sabrina chuckled under her breath as she levitated the cups to the kitchen.

* * *

[10 a.m. the next morning, Pokemon center]

"Come on Cooker it's time to get up." Karin said to her new Pokemon. The Growlithe huffed but got up anyway. She was clumsy, and not very confident but she fed him good food, brushed his fur and was gental when cleaning his paws. Plus he got the chance to roast things when the girl wanted to test out how good he was with his Ember. She even gave him the food after.

Sugar climbed on to the fire types back cheerfully causing Cooker to roll his eyes but he paid her no more attention. Spice and Bulb were inside their pokeballs. The walk out of the room they were using the night before was uneventful, until Karin slipped on a wet spot on the ground and tumbled down the stairs and onto someone else.

"Ow! Oh, I'm so sorry!" Karin said as she tried to get off the other person as fast as possible. Only to feel more weight added to her back and heard an amused growl and some giggling. The person under Karin groaned a bit in pain at more weight.

"Cooker, Sugar off! This isn't a game!" Karin said in panic and for the concern for the other person she was currently on top of. The fire type once again huff but got off, dragging the little dual type with him.

Karin got off and helped the person up, only to pause at the face on the photo she had gotten a while back. "Rosary?" said Karin while looking at her supposed to be new housemate.

"Karin! " Rosary said with both happiness and a bit of pain from being the victim of an untended dog pile.

"Rosary are you alright?" a male voice asked in concern.

"Yes Fredrick I'm fine. Just a bit of an accident. " Rosary said with amusement and a slight bit of pain. She rubbed the back of her head. Her blonde hair being moved a bit before a small Pokemon landed in it from above.

"Well that's good I suppose. " Fredrick said.

Karin looked to the source of the voice only to make a strangled noise in the back of her throat. "Long haired brother double-ganger!" And it was true. The male looked like a slightly leaner, long hair version of Ren with glasses.

The male looked at her for the first time and also made a startled noise. "Short haired Aunty look a like!"

It took a while for both Karin and Fredrick to calm down. But they eventually did. After a bit of talking they were partially grateful for the fact that their resemblances where from genetics.

"Ok so do you have any questions about the house set up?" Rosary asked. Karin looked over the drawn out plan of the house. It really was an alright set up. "No its fine...Um but off topic can I ask you what you know about the Orre gym leader search?"

"I can answer that," Fredrick said "A person intreseted has to submit a recording of a few battles and computations they entered. Then the people in charge will call that person for an interview and then a test. Then a battle will take place before the whole set up is worked on."

"T-Test oh no, I'm really bad at tests. And I don't have any recordings to show." Karin said on the verge of panic.

"Don't worry you have plenty of time to get some recordings." Fredrick said trying to stop his...cousin from panicking.

"Yeah! Don't worry about it. You could challenge the Cerulean and Pewter Gyms on your way to Viridan City. There's even going to be a Pokemon Contest in Cerulean in a few days so if you take the bus and sign up you'll have plenty of time to practice. Then there's these breeding event a Pewter after that were a person gets to meet breeders, learn about Pokemon health, play games and enter a judging on how well your Pokemon are being looked after." Rosary said happily."

"Rosary how do you know all that?" asked Fredrick as he and Karin both gained swetdrops.

"Oh, I looked at the Kanto Reigional website before we made our way her Fredrick. "Rosary chirped.

"Oh..." Frederick's and Karin's swetdrops increased in amount before Fredrick coughed into his hand. "Anyway that does sound like a good idea. Would you be up for that Karin?"

"I could give it my best shot." Karin said. "I think I can catch the bus in a while. When I get to Cerulean City I can train with my team and sign up."

"That's good." Fredrick said with a relived grin.

"Yep!" Rosary said before the three started talking about themselves. It was long before they said goodbye and Karin rode a bus to Cerulean. She got of and went to the Pokemon Center, getting a room and registering for the contest she went out to train for a bit. With her pokedex out she looked over her Pokemon. "Um, ok Bulb I think you would be better suited for battling, Spice I know you would rather fight battles so I will be train you two for my gym battle I guess. Bulb I want you to practice your Vine Whip by hitting that boulder over their. Don't just stay in one spot though, do your best to hit the target by running around it. Spice I. Want you to practice your Wrap by...wrapping around the boulder Bulb's attacking. Do your best to dodge the areas that he is aiming for and jump into the water every so often to cool off. Um okay?"

Bulb give a snort of amusement. Spice on the other hand looked pleased. She was still getting used to not being a Feebas. Young that attack would help with that and help her build resistance to grass type attacks. Though she may fire a dragon breath or two to keep Bulb on his toes.

"Ok Sugar I'm going to use you and Cooker for the contest. I want you to use Double Team for now and use Confusion on the attacks Cooker sends your way ok. Cooker I want you to Ember and Bite on Sugar, Bite not crunch ok. I know you are having an issue with that. Aalso the aim of this isn't to tire yourself out by attacking every Sugar you see. Try to find the real Sugar in with the copies."

Sugar laughed and started making copies of herself while dancing around. Cooker only stared at the little army of Fairy types quickly dancing around and his ears dropped back. Already getting dizzy at the sight. He whined a bit at the headache the was starting to build in his skull.

"Yeah, I know Cooker. Just looking at her makes my head spin. Please try though." Karin said rubbing her forhead to make the dizziness stop slightly. Sugar may be a ditsy little thing but she was fast and pretty hard to track.

Cooker fired an Ember at one of them. Only for it to be a copy. He signed in reluctance before going to try again.

Karin signed before pulling out the Xtransceiver she borrowed from Nurse Joy. Dialing a number she waited. After a few rings the other person picked up.

"Karin?"

"Um, hi Kenta, I was calling to see if you could help me with some things?"

"Ok I guess."

"Um first do you know much about Pokemon Contests? I think I know a routine to do but I need some help with it."

"Oh a Pokemon Contest." a voice that was definitely not Kenta said happily over on Kenta's said of the chat.

Kenta sighed and handed the pokegear he had to a girl with long hair in a ponytail, big eyes and a mole on one of her cheek. "Karin my mom, Mom this is the trainer I ran into a while ago."

"Hello! I love watching contests. What do plan to do? Maybe I can help." She said happily.

"Um, ok. Thank you very much." Karin said while she thought, "Young mother, Very young Mother."

"Oh you have such a sweet friend Kenta."

"Mom!"

* * *

[Day of Contest]

"Oh Mew it's almost my turn." Karin said inwardly freaking out. Hopefully the planning she did with Fumio would do the trick.

-"Our next contestant is Karin Marker from the Hoenn Region."-

Karin walked out to the stage and quickly released her Pokemon."Sugar take the stage!"

Sugar came out of her pokeball with a spin.

"Double Team!"

The Ralts quickly made copies of herself. The copies and herself began dancing in a manner that looked like a team of suprisingly graceful Spinda ballerinas. They all danced around each other.

"Shadow Sneak!"

Soon shadows where expanding and the Ralts was going up and down through the floor. Making a dance of movement both on and beneath the field.

"Finish with Confusion!"

Sugar stopped and then released a psychic energy that caused the copies around herself to go out with a small flash of lights.

Karin waited for the feedback on how they did but on the inside she was very proud of what Sugar did. Sugar herself was tired but still stood happily.

**Ok sorry to say but that's it for this chapter, sorry for not really having any battles in the chapter though.**

**A couple of things I want to say though. One is that in the Pokemon world there are Aura users, Psychics, ninjas, etc. All well known about. So a family like Karin's would probably be less likely to be hunted down because of their abilities so the family still carries the name Marker instead of Make.**

**Second Shadow sneak is Sugar's egg move. I let the copies use it because the copies are illusions and just doing what the original is doing. Sorry I don't think I could explain it better.**

**Anyhow I hope you liked the chapter.**


End file.
